In the case of sporting arms with ball-like ammunition, so-called paint balls, the general problem is feeding the balls into the projectile chamber of the arm. In the simplest version, a magazine is mounted above the projectile chamber, from which the individual balls enter the projectile chamber through the force of gravity.
Also known is U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,953, whose disclosure is herewith included in the disclosure of the present application and whose characteristics are part of the disclosure of the present application. There, the magazine is arranged at a distance from the arm; it is carried in any other place. The transport of the ammunition from the magazine to the arm is by way of a long, flexible feeder tube not impairing the maneuverability of the arm. A motor-driven feeder exercises mechanical pressure on the balls so that the tube is constantly filled with balls and that new balls enter the feeder tube when the first ball is fed into the projectile chamber. To avoid constant operation of the motor, the motor transmits the traction to the feeder via a spring element. The spring element stores the traction force of the motor in such a way that balls can be transported into the ball chamber with the spring tension alone. This allows intermittent operation of the motor. The motor switches off when the spring element is loaded and switches on again only when the spring tension is used for feeding balls. The disadvantage of this type of construction is that controlling of the motor is difficult. If the motor does not switch off on time once the spring element is loaded and therefore the entire traction force is transmitted to the balls, there is the risk that individual balls will explode. The storage device is then no longer operational.
The invention concerns a storage device to reduce operational impairment from exploded balls. On the one hand, the purpose is to reduce the probability of damage to the balls, on the other hand-should the balls explode after all-the purpose is to restore operational readiness as soon as possible.